The Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, Wednesday launched the 60th anniversary of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), with a call on the media to balance freedom with responsibility. That, he said, was to avoid injuring other people's reputation for no just cause. "It is the government's resolve not to harass journalists for their editorial opinion," he said, and, therefore, asked them to conduct their work professionally and play their roles responsibly. The 60th anniversary of the GCGL will be marked in October this year. The year-long celebration will include a programme for keep fit clubs in April, the Graphic Business Roundtable, the Mirror Family Day in August and the inauguration of the company's new press house in October. Mr Mahama charged state-owned media organisations to take a cue from the GCGL which had become self-sustaining and commended the company for practising responsible journalism. He assured the media that the government would play the role expected of it to ensure that media freedom was upheld. "This is the reason why we are busily working on the Right to Information Bill to give access to information to any citizen, especially journalists, who may need it. From the government's point of view, this bill, when passed, will complement the Whistle Blowers Act already passed to ease the work of the media and make it more effective," he said. The Vice-President commended those who had, over the years, worked tirelessly to nurture the GCGL from its humble beginnings in October 1950 and wished that those selfless, dedicated and patriotic Ghanaians were alive today to be part of the 60th anniversary. Mr Mahama said 60 years in the history of an individual marked the end of his active working life, but for an organisation "it marks a turning point, as it opens a new chapter in its operations". The history of the GCGL, he said, indicated that but for the intervention of the then provincial council of chiefs of the Gold Coast, the company's establishment by the Mirror Group of the United Kingdom would have been a non-starter. That, he said, was because the indigenous Gold Coast nationals engaged in the newspaper business, led by the late Dr Nanka Bruce, strongly opposed the proposal to allow the British to establish the Graphic. Mr Mahama said the company had made significant contribution to Ghana's development over the last 60 years, contributing greatly to the development of true professional journalism in the country. "In fact, the media history of Ghana indicates that the West African Graphic Company, the maiden name of the GCGL, entered the media scene with much professionalism and superior technology which became a problem for existing news publishers. I am happy to note that the company has kept this reputation," he emphasised. The company, he said, gave direct and indirect employment to a good number of Ghanaians, saying that apart from those on its payroll, vendors and agents who sold newspapers depended on the company for a living, while the GCGL honoured its tax obligations to the State, paying GH¢15.7 million in corporate tax and dividends over the past five years. The Minister of Information, Mr John Tia Akologu, in an address read on his behalf, said from the days of old when the company was owned by the Mirror Group till today, the group had maintained its leadership role, both in terms of content and profitable management. "The prudent and efficient management is what saw the eventual weaning of the group from government subvention some years ago and today it remains the only state-owned media organisation that pays dividend to the state," he said. The Managing Director of the GCGL, Mr Ibrahim Awal, said from the small beginning of having only one newspaper, the company now had eight newspapers - the Daily Graphic, the Mirror, Graphic Showbiz, Graphic Sports, Junior Graphic, Graphic Nsempa, Graphic Business and the Graphic Advertiser. He said aside from operating newspapers, the company had governance programmes such as the Graphic Business Roundtable to discuss issues relevant to the country, adding that in July this year there would be another roundtable to discuss the discovery of oil. In October 2010, Mr Awal said, there would be the Graphic Governance Dialogue which discussed issues aimed at ensuring good governance, among other things. He said the company also expended GH¢200,000 every year on its social responsibility programmes, including free medical screening for residents of its catchment area to improve their health conditions and heart surgeries for the needy, especially children. Mr Awal thanked the business community and the company's stakeholders for their support, adding, "Graphic will be more relevant to the needs of Ghanaians." The Board Chairman of the GCGL, Mr Baba Mahama, who chaired the function, said the group had offered a marketplace for the cross-fertilisation of ideas to promote and entrench democracy in the country. According to him, the company had acted as the standard bearer of good journalism in the country, adding that it should strive to achieve more and not rest on its past glories. There were solidarity messages from the National Media Commission (NMC), the Advertisers Association of Ghana and the National Newspapers and Vendors Association. Source: Daily Graphic